Friendlies (1985-1989) CGL (1989) NCMMA (1990)
Date | Irish Team | British Team | ||
Friendlies | ||||
1985 | Dublin Celts | 32 | Bristol Bombers (Eng) | 0 |
1986 | Dublin Celts | 14 | Wirral Wolves (Eng) | 0 |
30.03.1986 | Dublin Celts | 16 | Newcastle Senators (Eng) | 14 |
1987 | Craigavon Cowboys | 18 | Newmarket Hornets (Eng) | 19 |
1987 | Belfast Spartans | 14 | F14 Tomcats (Eng) | 42 |
1989 | Dublin Celts | 0 | Bristol Packers (Eng) | 7 |
1989 | Belfast Spartans (A) | 12 | Jersey Senates / Guernsey Gladiators (ChI) | 12 |
International Challenge Cup | ||||
28.09.1986 | Carrickfergus Cougars | 8 | Ayr Burners (Sco) | 28 |
1987 | Belfast Giants | 0 | Ayr Burners (Sco) | 48 |
10.04.1988 | Belfast Giants | 21 | Ayr Burners (Sco) | 0 |
CGL Playoffs | ||||
1989 | Dublin Celts (A) | 13 | Manchester Heroes (Eng) | 18 |
1989 | A26 Bulldogs (H) | 34 | Furness Phantoms (Eng) | 6 |
1989 | A26 Bulldogs (A) | 0 | Severn Valley Warlords (Eng) | 5 |
NCMMA Regular Season | ||||
22.04.1990 | Dublin Celts (A) | 13 | Crawley Raiders (Eng) | 20 |
29.04.1990 | Dublin Celts (A) | p | Granite City Oilers (Sco) | p |
13.05.1990 | Dublin Celts (H) | p | Manchester Heroes (Eng) | p |
22.05.1990 | Dublin Celts (A) | 8 | Stoke Spitfires (Eng) | 26 |
03.06.1990 | Dublin Celts (A) | 6 | Walsall Titans (Eng) | 52 |
10.06.1990 | Dublin Celts (H) | 21 | Walsall Titans (Eng) | 26 |
Note: (H) and (A) denotes whether the Irish team played at Home or Away (Road).
Report
The Dublin Celts were formed in 1984, and being the only fully kitted American Football team in Ireland at the time played matches against British opposition in 1985, beating Bristol Bombers 32-6. In 1986 further matches against British opposition were played, with the Celts winning against both the Newcastle Senators and Wirral Wolves (Merseyside). In 1987 the Craigavon Cowboys and Belfast Spartans also played English teams, although both teams lost on this occasion.
The Ayr Burners, from the West Coast of Scotland, played three matches against Northern Ireland opposition from 1986 to 1988. The Carrickfergus Cougars lost 28-8 to the Scottish team in 1986, and the following year the Belfast Giants lost to the Burners 48-0, before winning the return fixture 21-0 in 1988.
In 1989 the Belfast Spartans travelled to Jersey, in the Channel Islands to play a Combined Jersey Senates / Guernsey Gladiators team, tying the match 12-12. The Dublin Celts also lost a friendly match to the Bristol Packers.
In 1989, the Irish League elected to play in the Combined Gridiron League, which was an attempt at uniting the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and English Regional Leagues, with Irish teams playing in an Irish Conference. In the playoffs, the Dublin Celts lost 13-18 to the Manchester Heroes in the Duke Premier Division, and The A26 Bulldogs, from Antrim, beat the Furness Phantoms, from Barrow in Cumbria, 32-6 before falling in the Baron First Division Semi-Finals 5-0 to Severn Valley Warlords.
In 1990 the Irish League was back to being Independent, although the Dublin Celts continued playing for one season in the NCMMA (the British Second Level), losing all four matches.
Websites
[1] Britball Now (2009) British and Irish Friendly results against foreign opposition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/UKClubsForeignOppo.html [Accessed 16 November 2017]
[2] Britball Now (2009) Results in Euro Competition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-in-euro-competition.html [Accessed 1 November 2016]
[3] Irish American Football Association (2002) OTHER EVENTS: [Internet] Available from: http://americanfootball.ie/iafl/otherevents02.htm [Accessed 20 March 2018]
Websites
[4] Belfast Spartans (2020) Player Profiles [Internet] Available from: http://www.belfastspartans.co.uk/player-profiles.html [Last Accessed 22 April 2020]
[5] Britball Now (2016) Historical League Tables in the UK [1989][1990] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/historical-league-tables-in/ [Accessed 6 August 2019]
Newspapers
[6] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys into ‘Shamrock Bowl’” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, September 29, 1986. pg. 18 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[7] Anon. (1988) “Giants get their revenge’” Belfast Telegraph. Tuesday, April 12, 1988. pg. 20 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
[8] Naughton, L. (1990) “Dublin Celts ready to roll” Evening Herald. Thursday, April 5, 1990. Pg. 52.
Websites
[9] Britball Now (2009) Results in Euro Competition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-in-euro-competition.html [Accessed 1 November 2016]
[10] Britball Now (2009) Results Section [1990] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 1 November 2016]
Newspapers
[11] Anon. (1990) “American Football: Junior game is on the up!” Sunday Life May 27, 1990. pg. 58
[12] Anon. (1990) “American Football: Cowboys riding high..” Sunday Life August 5, 1990. pg. 43
Acknowledgements
Thanks to David Turner (Belfast Blitzers)
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 26 January 2021
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020-2021
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.